1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for use in a remote monitoring system for monitoring repositories such as a freezer, an ultra-low-temperature freezer, a refrigerator, a cold reserving repository, etc., and particularly to a repository for which some physical quantities such as temperature, pressure, volume, etc. are controlled, a remote monitoring system suitable for monitoring the variation of a physical quantity of the repository, an information terminal for controlling the monitoring operation of the remote monitoring system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A remote monitoring system for repositories is disclosed in Japanese Laid-open patent Application No. Hei-6-88666. According to this monitoring system, an auxiliary cooling operation is carried out when there occurs such an abnormal condition that the temperature of the interior of a freezer is varied due to failure of a compressor installed in the freezer or interruption (failure) of electric power supply thereto, and also an alarm for notifying occurrence of the abnormal condition is automatically issued. The monitoring system disclosed in the above publication includes a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the freezer, an auxiliary cooling device using liquid carbonic acid gas, etc. for carrying out the auxiliary cooling operation of the interior of the freezer in response to an alarm output from the temperature sensor, an automatic telephone signal emitting terminal for automatically sending an alarm (artificial voice) to a supervisory specialist agent (or user) through a public telephone line in response to the alarm output from the temperature sensor, and a system of a user company which is the owner of the freezer and receives the alarm from the automatic telephone signal emitting terminal.
According to the conventional monitoring system described above, an alarm is generated and output with an artificial voice to a user company or the like through a public telephone line by the automatic telephone signal emitting terminal when some abnormality occurs in the freezer. Therefore, the user can merely know occurrence of some abnormality in his/her freezer, however, he/she cannot know the content of the abnormality itself because the alarm is merely output with an artificial voice.
Besides, there is also known a technique of notifying occurrence of an abnormality through E-mail although this technique does not direct to monitor the temperature of a freezer. According to this technique, since only occurrence of an abnormality is merely transmitted through E-mail, the user can merely known occurrence of some abnormality, and thus he/she cannot know the detailed information on the abnormality because the alarm is merely output with a predetermined alarm message.
Therefore, the present invention has been implemented in view of the foregoing situation, and has an object to provide a repository which can be easily monitored when it is under surveillance.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a repository from which measurement data can be automatically output to a user when some abnormality occurs even under the state that power supply fails.
Further object of the present invention is to provide a repository for which internal temperature records and trouble forecasts can be easily implemented and client supports can be also easily performed.
Further object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring system for monitoring abnormality of the repository.
In order to attain the above objects, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a repository for keeping things under a predetermined fixed environmental condition, including: an input unit for inputting a target internal temperature of the main body of the repository; a measuring unit for measuring the internal temperature of the main body of the repository; a controller for communicatively outputting the measurement data obtained by the measuring unit to the external; and an unit for enabling the controller to output the measurement data to the external even during interruption of power supply.
The above repository may include a two-stage refrigeration system comprising two refrigeration circuits which are cascade-connected to each other and perform heat exchange, and a temperature measuring unit for measuring the temperature of a thermally-coupled portion of said two refrigerant circuits.
In the repository, the thermally-coupled portion is a cascade-condenser of the two-stage refrigeration system.
In the repository, the controller may hold ID data to specify the repository itself.
In the repository, the unit may be an auxiliary power source for applying power to the controller to output the measurement data to the external even during the interruption of power supply.
The repository may further include a refrigeration circuit having an evaporator equipped with a defrost sensor, and another measuring unit for measuring the temperature of the defrost sensor, wherein the measured data of the temperature of the defrost sensor are also output to the external.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a monitoring system for at least one repository for keeping things under a predetermined fixed environmental condition, characterized by comprising: an input unit for inputting a target internal temperature of the main body of the repository; a measuring unit for measuring the internal temperature of the main body of the repository; a controller for receiving the measurement data from the measuring unit and communicatively outputting the measurement data; a central controller for receiving the measurement data from the controller and comparing the measured internal temperature with the target internal temperature and outputting the measurement data obtained by said measuring unit to the external if the difference between the measured internal temperature and the target internal temperature is larger by a threshold value.
In the monitoring system, the central controller adds time data to the measured data and distributes the measured data added with the time data together with ID data representing the repository concerned through the Internet to prescribed Internet addresses.
The repository further includes an auxiliary power source for enabling the data communication between the controller and the central controller even during interruption of power supply.
In the repository, the data communication between the controller and the central controller is carried out by using a predetermined communication protocol.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a monitoring system for a plurality of repositories for keeping things under a predetermined fixed environmental condition, characterized by comprising: an input unit which is equipped to each repository to input a target physical quantity affecting the environmental condition of each repository; a measuring unit which is equipped to each repository to measure the physical quantity affecting the environmental condition of the repository; a controller which is equipped to each repository to hold ID data specifying the repository itself and output the measurement data of the physical quantity obtained by the measuring unit to the external; a central controller for collectively receiving the measured data and the ID data from the controller of each repository, judging on the basis of the measured data whether some abnormality occurs in the physical quantity, and outputting the measured data and the ID data while adding the measured data with time data representing the measurement time if it is judged that some abnormality occurs in the physical quantity; and a distribution unit for distributing the data output from the central controller to desired Internet addresses through the Internet if it is judged that some abnormality occurs in the physical quantity.
In the monitoring system, the physical quantity is the temperature of the interior of each repository.
The monitoring system may further include an auxiliary power source which is equipped to each repository to enable the data communication between the controller and the central controller even during interruption of power supply.